BMI Foundation Partners with John Adams and Deborah O’Grady to Launch John Adams Award
NEW YORK CITY - May 1, 2026 - BMI Foundation, Inc. has announced the creation of the John Adams Award, sponsored by a generous $100,000 donation by composer John Adams and artist Deborah O’Grady. The John Adams Award will be granted to one BMI Composer Award recipient annually in recognition of compositional excellence.
The Grammy-winning composer has played a decisive role in turning the tide of contemporary musical aesthetics away from academic modernism and toward a more expansive, expressive language, entirely characteristic of his New World surroundings. A prolific opera composer, his stage works, many in collaboration with director Peter Sellars, have transformed the genre of contemporary music theater. Also a sought-after conductor, Adams has appeared with the world’s major orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
“John’s generosity toward original emerging voices is widely known, and we are thrilled and honored to join with him in expanding that legacy through the creation of this award,” said BMI Foundation President Deirdre Chadwick.
The BMI Composer Awards is an annual competition open to young composers engaged in the creation of classical music. First established in 1951, the competition has a prestigious history of discovering and encouraging many of today’s most prominent and talented young composers. Since its inception, the competition has awarded over 600 awards to musicians, including twenty future Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists, and is widely regarded as the premier recognition for young composers of classical music in the Western Hemisphere. Co-sponsored by BMI and the BMI Foundation, awards totaling $20,000 are determined annually for works for any instrumentation and in any classical genre, submitted by composers under the age of 28. The John Adams Award joins the honors of the Ellen Taaffe Zwilich Award and the Carlos Surinach Award.
About the BMI Foundation, Inc.
The BMI Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 to encourage the creation, performance, and study of American music. The Foundation’s programs include competitive scholarships for songwriters and composers, operating grants for nonprofit arts presenters, and support for innovative music education initiatives in schools and communities across the country. For more information about the work of the Foundation, please visit our website at www.bmifoundation.org. For exclusive news and content, follow @bmifoundation on Instagram and like BMI Foundation on Facebook.
